Chapter 266 - 265: Mission Reward

Chapter 266: Chapter 265: Mission Reward

The moment Gu Su stepped into Winter Town, he immediately sensed a peculiar presence in the air.

This presence faintly carried the fluctuations of an uncanny energy, yet it was much fainter than the uncanny auras he had encountered before. It wasn’t oppressive and bone-chilling; instead, it had a gentle, substantial quality that perfectly matched the atmosphere of this fledgling town.

The most striking sight was the Grass Thorn Deceivers within the town.

Unconcealable joy radiated from each of their faces. They bustled about the streets with light steps, their expressions full of the elation of surviving a disaster and their hopes for a new life, as if they had truly been reborn.

Some Deceivers were wiping down the walls of the Metal buildings, while others organized newly moved-in belongings. Still others gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices. It was an orderly scene, with everyone diligently caring for this new home of theirs.

Gu Su’s gaze swept across the town’s streets and alleys, and his eyes immediately locked onto Winter Town’s most central building: the train station.

On the platform, a steam train with a distinct 17th-century style stood on the tracks.

Its black body gleamed with a faint metallic luster. The smokestack was slightly tilted, and simple patterns were engraved on its frame, giving it a vintage and substantial quality.

Compared to the patrol squad’s train cannon he had seen in Trebot Town, this steam train was noticeably smaller.

Apart from the roaring locomotive at the front and the coal car immediately behind it, there were only three passenger cars.

However, these three cars were designed exclusively for passengers. Judging by their length and interior space, each car could accommodate a maximum of forty-eight people.

It wasn’t spacious, but it was enough to meet the transportation needs of the first wave of players.

Of course, this passenger capacity was much better than the ten-person limit of Gu Su’s Graveyard Demon.

Gu Su mused to himself, ’At this rate, it won’t be long before a new batch of players arrives in Winter Town on this train, injecting new life into this fledgling town.’

’Even if most of these newcomers are just Game Workers who make a living from the game—all stuck at Level 1 with no chance to level up—they’re still far more reliable than these Deceivers, who are hard to trust completely.’

’At least cooperating with other players is much simpler and more straightforward than dealing with Deceivers.’

A faint smile touched Gu Su’s lips. Without lingering to observe the train station any further, he followed in Xi Yue’s footsteps and entered Winter Town’s town hall.

After all, the main purpose of his trip was to turn in the siege quest and collect his rewards.

This town hall was clearly different from Gu Su’s residence in the Graveyard Demon.

It wasn’t the exclusive residence of the town’s lord. Instead, it served a dual function: it was a place for the mayor to handle daily affairs and official business, as well as a venue for residents to hold town meetings and discuss important matters.

Of course, not just anyone could come and go as they pleased; there were strict restrictions.

Only those core members among the Deceivers with special status, responsible for the town’s administration, were qualified to enter and exit freely.

However, this restriction did not apply to players.

As the town’s partners, players could enter and exit the hall at will without needing to be announced.

Before Gu Su even stepped through the doors of the town hall, his gaze was drawn to a statue standing by the entrance.

It was a statue of Winter, carved from bluestone. The sculpture was lifelike, perfectly recreating Winter’s appearance from when he was alive.

Surprisingly, the statue’s surface was covered in vibrant green moss, growing in thick layers, as if it had been standing there for many years, giving it a weathered, ancient feel.

’Seeing this, Gu Su was a little lost for words.’

’Winter Town was just built, yet they’ve made this statue look like it’s weathered a hundred years of storms.’

But he also understood this was the Deceivers’ way of commemorating Winter. So, despite his internal gripes, he chose to respect their sentiment and kept his mouth shut.

Stepping into the town hall, Gu Su saw a young-looking Deceiver standing inside.

He was dressed in a simple gray robe, and his presence felt peaceful—not oppressive and unsettling like other Deceivers, but rather calm and competent.

Seeing Gu Su enter, the young Deceiver immediately stepped forward with a gentle smile and initiated the greeting. "Hello, Mr. Gu. I’m the first mayor of Winter Town. You can call me Little Winter. Judging by your appearance, you must be here to turn in the siege quest, correct?"

"That’s right. I’m here to turn in the three siege quests I accepted," Gu Su replied with a slight nod, his tone businesslike.

’He knew perfectly well that this quest was completely different from the ones inside the Graveyard Demon, which triggered and turned in automatically.’

’As long as he was within the Graveyard Demon’s range, those quests would resolve automatically upon completion. No extra steps were needed; the Graveyard Demon would even helpfully place the items in their designated spots.’

’This siege quest, on the other hand, had to be personally verified by the quest-giving NPC. It could only be finalized after they confirmed its completion.’

’More importantly, the rewards wouldn’t be sent directly to him. Most of them were physical items and, unlike in a typical game, couldn’t just materialize out of thin air.’

’The way it worked in this game, the NPC would issue a detailed retrieval order, which Gu Su would then have to take to a designated location to claim his rewards.’

’As for how to transport those physical items afterward, that was entirely his problem.’

’The most frustrating part was that this Game World lacked the storage items common in "normal" games, like backpacks or dimensional pockets. All physical goods had to be moved by some means of transport.’

Thankfully, Gu Su had prepared for this trip and had already considered the issue of transporting the rewards.

After all, this problem had occurred before when trading with the Deceivers; transporting the items took more time than the trade itself.

That was why he had made sure to bring his Treasure Chest Wagon along.

This Treasure Chest Wagon could hold about a ton of cargo, enough to fit all the rewards from this siege quest.

He would just need to tow the Treasure Chest Wagon behind him to get the rewards home easily, without any extra hassle.

Little Winter seemed to notice Gu Su’s confidence. He smiled and nodded, then turned and pulled a thick stack of documents from a cabinet behind him. After flipping through them for a moment to confirm everything was in order, he signed his name on a yellowed retrieval order.

"Mr. Gu, your three siege quests have all been confirmed as complete. The rewards have been stored in the warehouse at the town entrance.

"You can take this retrieval order and pick them up whenever you’re ready." Little Winter handed the order to Gu Su, his voice full of sincere gratitude. "We couldn’t have taken Trebot Town without your help.

"You’re always welcome in Winter Town."

Gu Su accepted the retrieval order, stored it away carefully, and replied casually, "You’re too kind, Mayor. We both just got what we needed."

He didn’t stay any longer. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, he turned and left the town hall.

As he walked out the main doors, he glanced again at the moss-covered statue of Winter. A corner of his mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, "Did they plant this moss overnight or something?"